


The Things We Leave Unspoken

by Ozan



Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Angsty but the ending is good, Don't read if you haven't finished the TLOU2, F/F, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25245382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ozan/pseuds/Ozan
Summary: Ellie and Dina stop to rest on the way home from Seattle
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 99





	The Things We Leave Unspoken

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooooo, so the other day I heard this song and I was like omg what if Ellie wrote that and sang it for Dina I need that fic NOW. The song is called "Lady May" by Tyler Childers, I highly suggest you give it a listen.

Ellie pulled the vehicle to a halt in the store parking lot and cut the engine.

“You sure about this? We really don’t need anything right now,” Ellie said, uncertainty clouding her voice, “We’re like halfway there we could just keep going and if we really get in trouble could stop in Idaho Falls,” she pressed.

“Ellie,” pleaded Dina, her exhaustion evident, “We need to stop, we need a night to rest and we need to get supplies. So that we DON’T get into trouble. At least let us rest for a night. We can go in this place, make sure it’s clear and try to hole up in it for just a bit.”

Ellie chewed on the inside of her cheek, looking into the eyes of the woman she loved. She didn’t know how to convey her crippling anxiety. Her absolute need to be back in Jackson as fast as possible, so that her uncle, the love of her life, and the unborn child could be safe. She had already put them through more pain than anyone ever deserved. With her days being filled with uncertainty, the only thing that Ellie knew for sure was that she needed her family safe.

Ellie let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding in, “Okay, we can stop here for a little bit. BUT you gotta stay here with Tommy, in the truck, locked doors, while I go and make sure the place is safe.”

“Seriously? What if you get into trouble in there? You’re really gonna go in there with no backup whatsoever?”

“Dina, Tommy is in no state to come in and do a sweep much less defend himself. And I can’t be in two places at once, so just fuckin stay here, lock the doors and be safe. If I get into trouble, I’m sure I can squeeze my way out of it.” Ellie grabbed her bag from the backseat and started to exit the truck. She stopped suddenly when Dina grabbed her by the forearm.

Their eyes locked for a long moment. Neither of them able to get out what they wanted to say.

“Come back to me,” said Dina, her voice small and dry.

“I will. Just stay here and lock the doors. I don’t wanna have to shoot you in the face,” said Ellie with a sad smile on her face. She turned quickly and jogged away from the truck. Ellie listened closely for the sound of a locking door before she inspected the building more closely. The windows were boarded up and the sign on the front was missing a few letters, but Ellie could still make out a little of what it said - ‘G_od__ill.’ Ellie wondered what kind of store it could be while she looked for a way inside. She found what she was looking for on the backside of the building. She pushed on the metal door but found resistance, so she ducked her shoulder down and gave a heaving shove. When the locker fell on the other side the door gave away quickly and Ellie, unprepared, fell forward and landed hard on her knees. Pulling herself to her feet she heard the gut-wrenching familiar sound of clicking coming her way, and fast. She knew that at this rate, her pistol or revolver wasn’t going to be enough to stop them unless she could ensure headshots, so she drew her shotgun and backed away from the door in order to make however many were in there file down and be more manageable.

The first clicker was easy enough, she let it get about 5 feet in front of her before she pulled the trigger, blasting it back and crumpling its decrepit body to the ground. She took out two more in the same way. She knew that she was running low on shells, and while she was rifling through her backpack for more, her head shot up at the sound of feet pounding on the pavement. A runner coming straight for her and closing fast. Ellie drew her pistol and fired two rounds into its chest. That didn’t stop the creature and it slammed into her body at a full sprint. The two of them fell to the ground, struggling. Ellie couldn’t get to her knife, both of her hands preoccupied with keeping the gnashing teeth away from her throat. Her mind was scrambling to figure out what to do. _Do I put a hand in its mouth and keep it busy long enough to get my knife or pistol? Do I try to overpower it?_ Her strength was fading fast and she needed to make a decision.

Just as she released her left hand from the runner’s throat, a shot rang out and blood splattered her face. The infected fell lifelessly against Ellie and she shoved it off and quickly rose from her vulnerable position on her back, revolver now freed from underneath her body and pointed in the direction of the shooter. She didn’t know if it was friend or foe, but it was always better to err on the side of caution.

“Dina what the FUCK?!” Ellie spluttered out, “I told you to stay in the fuckin truck with Tommy.”

Dina scowled at her girlfriend and let a hand fall to her hip, “And if I hadn’t you woulda been chewed up again,” she said in irritation. Dina walked forward and pushed past Ellie and stepped over the bodies of the infected that were now scattered in front of the door.

“Now where are you going?”

“I’m going to make sure this place is fucking clear so that I can get some fucking sleep for once,” grumbled Dina.

“Just- just go back to the truck, I can finish this,” said Ellie.

Dina wheeled around on Ellie and pressed a finger to her chest, “What the fuck is going on with you? Do you think I’m not fucking capable of handling myself?” She reached up and pulled the collar of her shirt down, exposing the bandage still on her right shoulder, “I think I’m pretty capable of handling a lot.”

Ellie’s eyes went wide and her face softened. She took a small step back and raised her hands slightly. “I- okay,” she said, her voice full of remorse. “Let me walk ahead of you at least please,” she said gently, before clicking on her flashlight and entering the building, gun raised and ready.

They found no more infected, but they did find a note stating that the employees of the store had locked the place down and holed up in there pretty successfully until one of them got bit and didn’t tell the others until it was too late.

“It’s kind of weird, this store seems to have all kinds of shit, but it’s not like other department stores,” said Dina curiously.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, like, you know how some places seem to have like, I dunno ‘themes’? This just seems like a bunch of random shit all together in a big room. Plus, there are no multiples of things. Like there’s only one kind of that plate or mug. The same thing with those clothes too, there’s only one of each?”

“I guess you’re right. That is weird,” said Ellie as she continued on. “Dina, here, look.” Ellie pointed to the several couches and armchair that were towards the back of the store. “This place looks pretty secure; we can go get Tommy and settle him down here. We got lucky that they still had some cans of food left. We can stay here tonight and then keep going tomorrow.”

“That’s fine,” Dina shot back.

They made their way back inside and laid Tommy down on a couch, Dina letting herself fall into a chair beside him. Ellie set her backpack down and stretched her arms over her head, she rolled her shoulders to shake loose the stiffness that was forming after her tussle with the runner earlier.

“I’m gonna go look around and see if I can find anything useful,” Ellie said softly. Once Ellie had disappeared from view, Dina let her face fall into her hands and a heaving sigh left her lungs.

“What’s going on with you two?” rasped Tommy.

“I wish I knew. She’s not talking to me. All she does is snap. She treats me like I can’t fuckin do shit,” said Dina, her voice full of hurt.

“She’s protecting you.”

“No, she’s treating me like I’m a fucking child.”

“Yes, that may be but that’s the only way she knows how to keep those she loves safe.”

“I don’t **need** protecting Tommy. I’ve been keeping myself safe for years. It’s not like this is a new concept for me.”

“You and I both know that, but in her mind right now, she has to do everything in her power to keep you and me and that baby alive. She’s lost so many people. I know she doesn’t say it, but Joel was her dad, and he had his skull caved in right in front of her. She watched her best friend take a bullet to the face, she watched me catch one in the back of the head. She watched you take an arrow through the shoulder and a knife held to your throat. Each time she was completely powerless to stop what was happening, and she was forced to watch. Now she has the ability to control the situation. Dina she would give anything to keep you and me alive. We’re all she has left.

Joel could never talk about these things either, I think she picked a lot of that up from him. He always used actions to show his love and devotion before he used words. If I had to venture a guess right now, Ellie is holding on by a very, very thin thread. You don’t talk to her either. Have you told her everything you’re going through?”

Dina looked at Tommy, her eyes tired and her face grim.

He continued, “Look, let’s just make it back to Jackson, and then you two can sit down and work through all of this. I know it seems like an unclimbable mountain, but you can work through it.”

“Okay, you’re right. I just wish **she** would be the one to tell me this stuff, and that I wouldn’t have to hear it from someone else.”

“Don’t we all. Why don’t you go find her and try to work through a little bit of what’s going on between you two?”

Dina nodded and stood up; she didn’t know exactly where in the store Ellie was so she figured she could just walk around until she found her. Moving through sections she looked around absentmindedly until she saw something that stopped her in her tracks. On the wall in front of her hung instruments of all sorts. A tambourine that was missing a few pieces, an unstrung ukulele, a rusty old trumpet. But what really caught her eye was the guitar. It was old and covered in scratches, but it was strung, and it looked like it would work.

Dina reached forward and removed it from the wall. She let her thumb stroke the strings, it was severely out of tune, but nonetheless it was an olive branch. Dina left the area and continued her search for her girlfriend. She found her in a secluded corner, pouring over the literal piles of DVDs on the shelf in front of her.

“When I was sixteen,” Ellie started, “J- he took me to a museum outside of Jackson. Inside there was a massive exhibit of dinosaur bones. He told me about this movie that he saw once, that was about dinosaurs and people and stuff. He said when we got back, we could hunt it down and watch it together. We never found it, and he never told me what its name was exactly but,” she held up the case in her hand, “I have a feeling that this might be it.” Ellie looked down and the old case in her hands and a small, sad smile crossed her face for a fleeting moment. She didn’t look at Dina when she spoke again, “I’m sorry that I’ve been such a dick, you don’t deserve that. After everything we’ve been through, the last thing you need is for me to be a dick to you.”

Dina felt her heart beat a little harder at the words Ellie was speaking. “I’ve been a dick too,” she said softly. She remembered the guitar that was in her hands, “El, look what I found.”

Ellie looked up at her and her eyes took on a new life.

“Now where’d you find that at?”

“Mmmmm magic,” said Dina with a coy smile, “Play me something?” she asked, extending the guitar to Ellie.

“What would you like to hear?” Ellie questioned, sitting down on the floor with her back to the shelves. Before Dina could answer, Ellie spoke again, “What if, I finally sang you that original that you wanted to hear so bad.”

Dina smiled, her face full of love, “I would like that a lot.”

Ellie nodded and began to tune the guitar. Once it was to her liking she looked at Dina. “Don’t laugh at me okay?” she asked before taking a deep breath and starting to pluck at the strings. Ellie’s voice came out raspy but strong as she began to sing.

“I’m a stone’s throw from the mill

And I’m a good walk to the river

When my workin’ day is over

We’ll go swim our cares away

Put your toes down in the water

And a smile across your face

And tell me that you love me

Lovely Lady May”

Ellie begged internally that Dina didn’t think she was the stupidest fucker on the planet for this. She kept her eyes down at her fingers and continued singing

“Now I ain’t the sharpest chisel

That your hands have ever held

But darlin I could love you well

Til’ the roll is called on high

I’ve seen my share of trouble

And I’ve held my weight in shame

But I’m baptized in your name

Lovely Lady May”

Dina folded her hands over her mouth, tears pricking her eyes. She took a shaky breath as Ellie pushed on through the song.

“Lord the wind can leave you shiverin’

As it waltzes o’re the leaves

It’s been rushin’ through my timber

Til’ your love brought on the spring

Now the mountains are all blushin’

And they don’t know what to say

‘cept a good long line of praises

For my lovely Lady May”

Ellie chanced a look up at Dina and saw tears streaming down her face. She locked her eyes with Dina’s as she sang the last few lines.

“Now I ain’t the toughest hickory

That your ax has ever felled

But I’m a hickory just as well

I’m a hickory all the same

I came crashin’ through the forest

As you cut my roots away

And I fell a good long ways

For my lovely Lady May”

Ellie finished the song and set the guitar down beside her. She crawled across the floor and stopped between Dina’s parted legs. Ellie took her girlfriend’s face in her hands and looked down into her eyes.

“I wrote that about a year ago. Dina, I love you. I have always loved you,” she dropped a hand from Dina’s face and placed it against her belly. “I will do anything to keep you safe. I need you,” she said, her voice breaking.

Dina wrapped her arms around Ellie’s neck and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you too.”


End file.
